Golf Grip Checkpoint Tips

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For years, golf instructors have put band-aids on your golf grip and your golf swing by making nonsense golf grip changes. In this video, RotarySwing.com head instructor Chris Tyler will show you a simple process to gripping the golf club perfectly every single time. No more golf fixes that are only bandaids!


Key Golf Tips You Need To Know When Building A Proper Golf Grip

When it comes to creating a repeatable and consistent golf swing, many instructors spend time focusing on band aids or temporary fixes that never really get you set for success.  At RotarySwing.com, we believe band aids for golf swing problems are a bad idea.  We prefer to give you solutions and systems that fix the problem and create a foundation for future success. 

As a key foundation point in your golf swing, tweaking your grip to fix a problem in your swing is only going to mask the real golf swing problems you have and hinder your progress.  That's why we are going to show you how to accurately and consistently build the perfect golf grip that will work for you every time. 

Checkpoint 1:  Grasp the club near the tips or base of your fingers with your left hand being careful not to over-squeeze the club.  If you're a left handed golfer, obviously your initial grip starts with the same movement in your right hand.   Grip pressure is a 2 to 4 out of 10, so you're gripping the golf club very loosely.   Once you have the club grasped, you want to pinch your thumb and index fingers pinched together so that your thumb is pointed down the shaft and you see no "open" v in your fingers.

Checkpoint 2:  Strong Golf Grip vs Weak Golf Grip  -  When it comes to "strong golf grip" or "weak golf grip" golfer instructors are not referring to how hard you are gripping the golf club.  A strong grip infers that the club head at impact will be closed and weak grip is defined as the clubface will be open when you strike the ball.  Obviously, strong and weak grips come with consequences.  A strong grip will promote a hook and a weak grip will promote a slice.  What we're aiming for at RotarySwing.com is consistency, so developing a neutral golf grip is the only way to build a solid foundation. 

Here is the best way to get a grip on the golf club to achieve a neutral club head position.  Standing upright with shoulders not rounded forward, place the club on your right inside thigh.  Reach over with your left and take your initial grip, but make this important double check now:  As you move the club into the middle of your stance, make sure you can see 2 to 2 1/2 knuckles as you look down at your hands this erect standing position.  By checking your knuckles, you ensure that your grip will not promote an open or closed clubface at impact.  

Checkpoint 3:  Interlock golf grip vs. overlap grip - Literally, there is no right or wrong answer here.  This is all about feel and comfort and whichever feels right and comfortable to you is what we recommend.   No matter what golf grip you choose to use, interlocking or overlapping, the key checkpoint is to make sure that your left hand V at address is pointed over your right ear and your right hand V is aligned up your right arm at your right shoulder.   By checking the V alignment of your grip as we have outlined above, you can be always sure that your grip is set up correctly at address.  

So one of the most common mistakes in golf instruction these days is the band-aid fix of changing your grip. So if you've battled a slice or a hook, the first thing that golf instructors tend to turn to is what you're doing with your grip. Well, did you know that that grip change could essentially be costing you tons of club head speed and making it nearly impossible for you to square the club face up at impact? Yeah, that's right. Hi guys, I'm Rotary Swing instructor Chris Tyler. In today's video we're going to be talking about a detailed list of checkpoints to get you a good solid foundation, and a good grip to start from so that you're not costing yourself any more speed and putting band-aids on your swing any longer. Let's go ahead and get started.

                Okay guys, so the objective of today's video is not to spend a lot of time going into the sciences behind how your grip can affect your release or how it can affect your swing plane. We've got a couple videos on the website that can help you out, they really dive further into the sciences behind that. The goal of today's video is to look at this and give you a couple of clear checkpoints on how you're going to approach your grip, and make sure that you're not affecting your golf swing. So let's go ahead and take a look at checkpoint number one.

                Okay gang, so the first checkpoint I want to show you today is how we're going to have the club resting in our left hand. Or lead hand if you're a left-handed player. Okay so the point of this is where we want to make sure the grip of the club is resting right at the base of the fingers. Okay, not up all the way in the fingers, not down here in the palm. Right across the base of the fingers. That's our first checkpoint here, and then we're going to let our fingers wrap around it. Now what I want you to pay close attention to, and this is where we talked about a short thumb, is we want to have our thumb and our pointer finger pinching together. Not tight, but you want to make sure that when you grab the club that you make this "V" and it's put together. If you're thumb's over here on this side you're going to potentially lose control of the golf club at the top of the swing. So, checkpoint number one is get the golf club to be right at the base of the fingers, and go ahead and wrap your hand over the top just like so, and have this thumb and your pointer finger pinched together just slightly.

                Okay so now that you've seen checkpoint number one, let's look at checkpoint number two.  This is going to help you with how strong or weak of a golf grip that you should be having anatomically in your golf swing. I want you to take your set up position, no golf club in your hand. You can rest it against your right thigh here. I want you to get into a good neutral posture here with your shoulders, don't let your shoulders round forward here. Get your shoulders to where they're a nice neutral posture.  Your goal here is that we're going to slowly, and we're going to keep that pointer finger and our thumb pinched together, we're going to slowly move our arm across to our center. So our left arm is right underneath the logo on my chest. I'm going to slowly let is swing underneath, my shoulder stays neutral, it doesn't round forward to where my palm is now facing in.

                Okay, so you can see here now my left arm is moved across. Now what I want you to do at this point is go back to checkpoint number one, and go ahead and let the club get right into that hand the same way. What your goal here is, without having to look and go see it or change or manipulate your hand position, I want you to be able to see about two to two and an half knuckles. That's a good focus point for you.  So two to two and half knuckles, that's what I can see here without having to change. Okay so that would be checkpoint number two. Now we're going to learn how to get the right hand back on the club.

                Okay, so now let's talk about how to get that right hand on the golf club. This is where golf instruction tends to go back and forth on things as far as, should we interlock or should we overlap. There's no real data that supports either one being better than the other. I personally use an interlock grip, and the reason for that is that I feel like I've got more control of the golf club because I've got a little bit of shorter fingers. I've got a little bit more of a fat, fat palm, and it allows me to feel like I've got control of things. I did try the overlap grip again, it felt like I didn't have as much control of the face. That's really the most important part of golf is making sure that you can control that thing down in the hitting area, and release it with tons of speed at the same time.  So I'm going to show you guys the interlock grip first. 

                So the first thing that we want to do when working on an interlock grip, is we're going to get the club in our left hand again just as the way we did in checkpoint number one. Make sure your thumb and your pointer finger are pinched together just slightly. Not tons of tension there, remember we want our grip pressure to be between a two and four on a scale of one to ten. What we're going to do here is we're going to lift the club straight up in the air, and we're going to point our pointer finger back at you at home here. Okay? Now with my right hand what I want to do is almost make one of those little shadow puppets that we used to do as kids back in the day.

                So you can see I'm making that little shadow puppet dog. I'm going to have my pinky down here, and then what I'm going to do is bring my thumb down into that same position that I showed you with the left hand. Our goal here is, as we start to move the right hand in, we're going to interlock these two fingers.  You're going to hold the golf club at that same point, right at the base of the fingers where it meets your palm. Then you're going to go ahead and wrap your fingers around it and then place your hand right on top of the club. So you can see that club moves in, fingers around it, and now I've got my pointer finger and my thumb close together. So that is the interlock grip.

                Now your final checkpoint here, to make sure you're in a good position, is that this "V" right here should be right up at your right ear. And this "V" right here should be bisecting your right shoulder. So now if you watch, going back to checkpoint number two, when I move my left hand across, now I'm going to move my right hand in the same way.  You can see that I've got that "V" right up my right shoulder, and this "V" is right up by my right ear. Okay so those of you that feel comfortable with the overlap grip, it's going to be done the exact same way. Except for, instead of making that little pointer gun here back at you at home, we're going to keep that finger right on the gold club. Still maintaining that little pinch between the thumb and the pointer finger here. We're going to make that same shadow puppet here. Thumb down, and rather than locking these two fingers together, we're going to take our pinky and overlap it between the pointer finger and the middle finger. Then we're going to make sure it's resting in the same spot, right at the base of the fingers. Go ahead and set the club down, and your same checkpoints here are the "V" right up at your right shoulder in the right hand, and your "V" in your left hand is right up at your right ear.

                Okay guys, now that you've seen your golf grip checkpoints let's recap this so you have a good clear understand at how you're going to do this at home. So what I want you to do is get your setup position right here, and rest the golf club across your right leg, good neutral posture. I want you to slowly bring your arm into center here to where it's underneath your logo on your chest. Pointer finger and thumb are pinched together. We're going to go ahead and get the club in our left hand just like we talked about in check point number two. Okay, I can see two to two and a half knuckles without having to go over there and look at it. I'm going to reach across now with the right hand, interlock grip, and now my "V" in my right hand is up towards my right shoulder. My "V" in my left shoulder is up toward my right ear. So use these checkpoints to make sure your grip's in a very good spot to start your golf swing off. You don't need to start to strengthen your grip, you don't need to weaken your grip based off a hook or a slice. There are probably other contributing factors to your hook or slice, such as path or club face, and those things need to be addressed with other fixes to the golf swing. So let's get out there and play some great golf. 

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David
Hi, I've long struggled with a weak grip, so am lately trying to correct it after joining the site. I'm struggling with achieving a 'short thumb' and pinching the thumb and index finger together with my left hand. When I attempt to grip the club in that way, the 'rise' of the thumb's first knuckle feels like it interferes with the right hand (because it's raised in order to achieve a short thumb), up near the right wrist. As I'm used to a long left thumb, my right hand palm sits (quite comfortably) on top of my long left thumb. But I'm not sure if that's a grip fault. Grateful for your help. Thanks, David
November 27, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. You may have incorrect size grips, or still tending to be on the weaker side of the grip when adding the short thumb.
November 27, 2023
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Nigel
Has there been any proven science that a lead hand thumb being double jointed cause any issues with the gripping? When I have applied fingers to club and heel pad I find turning thumb is a but bulging so when my trail hand is on lead thumb can't get comfortable?
November 6, 2022
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Nigel. I haven't read too many reports on this subject. But, have noticed that double jointed players tend to struggle with the short thumb positioning. However, this is important to shy away from long thumb and push.
November 7, 2022
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Robert
Can you provide a picture showing a flat open left palm and fingers, with the golf grip positioned in the desired manner? Thanks, Rob
October 14, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Like this?
October 14, 2020
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Eric
When I play with my buddies they always say I am aligned to the right (right handed golfer). I always struggle with an open lead hip. I spent some time in the mirror. In the RST left hand/arm initial grip I tend to tense up/flex my left shoulder when I put the left behind the ball. This points my shoulders to the right. My feet want to go with my shoulders and point to the right. I think my lead hip points to the left subconsciously to offset the fact the club is pointing at the target. Not sure it is related, but I tend to have a slightly open club face. It is amazing I have ever hit it straight or broke 90. I hit it a long way. For years I had a sporadic dead pull. Now it seems to be more of a slice. Even when I hit a big drive it starts left and fades right. I have started a new routine of not gripping the club until I am in my posture with my feet, knees, hips and shoulders square and worn on hanging my left arm and not tensing the arm and shoulder. Have you seen this before? Make sense?
August 28, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. Alignment is tough. I have seen players that need to do a routine before the grip so they don't manually adjust items off line/target. Take a look at How to Align Your Body for Straight Golf Shots Video for help with the hip/feet.
August 28, 2020
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Lee
Hello Craig, was looking at this video because lately I have had a problem with my right pinky. After I play it hurts quite a bit and is hard to bend for a bit because the joint swells up. I interlock and was wondering if overlapping would help that or if you have ever encountered that before and if so what causes that? Also, my understanding of where the grip should lay in the left hand before this video was it should run from the base of the pinky to the middle of the index finger. I read through the comments and from the video it appears I had it wrong in that I had it a little too high in the index finger, So just wanted to make sure I am right about that before I change it. As always thanks for all you do!
July 3, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lee. Sounds like you are over using that trail. I prefer overlap because it literally just rests there and then falls off the club. If you are experiencing issues with the pinky in interlock. Sounds like there is excessive torque/pressure put on it. The club runs from the base of the pinky very slightly diagonally to the middle finger just below the first knuckle. Happy 4th. No problem for the help and thank you.
July 4, 2020
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Gary C
It’s a little difficult to see Chris’ left hand when he talks about having the grip rest at the base of the fingers. Would it be accurate to say that when the grip sits properly in the hand you would have a solid grasp of the club without needing the thumb and forefinger to help hold the club? Then adding the thumb provides more control and stability? Is it possible to get a pic of the club resting on the base of the fingers for reference?
March 31, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. I will try to get you a picture. But, your assessment is correct when placing the club in the last three fingers.
April 1, 2020
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Matthew
Hi Craig, I left a question and pics on the golf grip - how to video on Sunday. Not sure if it came through on your end?
March 12, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Matthew. You replied to your own comment. System thought it was answered. Give me a second .
March 12, 2020
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Roy
What about wear marks on your grip itself? I consistently get a wear mark where my lower thumb rests on the grip. I have "no" wear marks on my glove though. I'm thinking this is because I'm holding it to tight? I tend, also, to get a bit of a wear mark underneath my upper thumb but not to the extent of the lower thumb.
February 8, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roy. That is a clear sign of too much steerage with the trail hand. Take a look at the Vijay Release Drill. You need to start deleting how much the trail hand is overpowering the club.
February 8, 2020
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William
Craig, Thanks for the quick response. The videos you suggested were particularly helpful. In the comment I made originally on 10/21, I had a senior moment. Being a lefty, I said I was interested in seeing the right hand more clearly. Dah--I meant the left hand. The video you suggested solved my issue. Thanks, again Bill Bill
October 22, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bill. That's okay. Great. Glad it cleared up your issues.
October 22, 2019
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Pat
Hi, When I watch the videos showing impact position, the left (lead) hand is perpendicular to the line of flight, correct? So if I am set up with my grip, and put my left hand on the grip and hinge my wrist, the back of my hand should be parallel to the clubface, correct? Im fighting a nasty hook and I notice that after I put my grip on, and I waggle the club, that the face is pretty closed, so I think that I need a weaker grip thank you!' Pat
July 29, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Pat. Take a look at RST Golf Grip Effect on Swing Plane. It's tough to diagnose with your notes. But, you can see the grip relative to club face in that video. However, after looking at your swing today. I don't believe it's a grip issue. If you can see more than 2 1/2 knuckles on your lead hand. The grip is more than likely too strong.
July 29, 2019
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Ron
Which fingers in the lead hand should feel pressure against the shaft? Bottom two, bottom three?
July 15, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ron. Bottom three. Pinky, ring, and middle finger of lead hand.
July 15, 2019
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Harold
Hello Chris I getting back to some basics like the grip and I noticing that i cant see my two to two and a half knuckle unless I turn my lead hand more in-wood. Is this ok? Does this make more of a strong grip?
May 26, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Harold. We prefer the grip to be slightly stronger than neutral. Sounds like your grip may be too weak. Turning it in will make it stronger, but it seems that is what you need.
May 27, 2019
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Harold
Here a pic
May 27, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Harold. I don't have a picture uploaded.
May 28, 2019
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Harold
It keeps error out
May 28, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Harold. Make sure the file size isn't too large and file type.
May 28, 2019
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John
As I try to develop more lag I am finding my lead thumb is aching not from the downswing but from impact and follow through. If I wrap my left thumb around the grip(bit like baseball grip) but still overlap right hand it relieves the pressure. Does this have any nasty side effects?
March 23, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. You will lose a little bit of support for the club at the top. But, for right now leaving the thumb off to the side will help with lag and lead release. Sounds like you are pushing a little bit too much with it through impact.
March 23, 2019
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Theunie
Where exactly should the hands be positioned on the grip? Looking at Chuck’s grip video in the Set-up and posture section it looks as though the upper side of his left hand pinky pad is about at the end of the club and his left pinky about half an inch lower down the shaft. So it looks as though his hands are high on the grip
January 7, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Theunie. The club will be in the fingers and not up in the palm. From the base of the pinky knuckle slightly diagonal to the base of the first knuckle on the middle finger. The butt end of the club should be able to stick out slightly.
January 7, 2019
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Daniel
What is your take on “reminder” grips, the ones with a slight ridge along the bottom? My left (lead) hand has a tendency to migrate toward strong resulting in wonderful, frustrating hooks. I tried it with a 3 hybrid—seemed to help. (Tried it with a sand wedge and decided against that because of the need to vary how open the club face was.) So, reminder grips, even with the driver? Thanks.
October 24, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dan. Reminder grips can be helpful. I haven't experimented enough with them to give my full blessing. However, I don't see the harm in with using the on clubs you tend to hit stock shots with.
October 24, 2018
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James
I was referred to this by Craig as my right hand position was too weak. I set my grip up as Chris showed but when I started to use my clubs with this grip I started pulling every thing left. I also lost a lot of golf balls. I had no issue with the right hand but that placing the the left thoumb against the index finger put a bit of tension in my grip and I was not able to swing so well. I dislocated my left thumb as a boy and I am able to create a right angle with my my left thumb at the base of the joint. I have now gone back to having a little gap between my left thumb and index finger about 5mm with the right hand on the grip as Chris shows and this allows me to swing freely without tension. See picture attached showing what Chris was showing to do. Hope this OK.
July 19, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. The pictured grip looks acceptable. I was more worried about the trail hand because of how on top, or weak it was positioned. If you get the trail hand "v" going towards the trail shoulder joint. You lead looks to be okay.
July 19, 2018
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James
Craig I have been persevering with this left thumb slightly pinching against the left forefinger but want to clarify something about the thumb on the shaft. What I find when I pinch the forefinger with the thumb the actual contact point of the thumb on the grip is the right side of the thumb pad, that is to say looking down square on the thumb with the nail uppermost, the contact point is slightly the right of nail around to the centre of the thumb pad, with the left side of pad not actually in contact with anything; is this correct? BTW, for my next review I would video a 9 to 3 swing to make sure I have the release fundamentals correct. This will be in the next couple of days as I am golfing tomorrow.
July 30, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. 9 to 3 perfectly fine for a review. My question about the thumb would be is the thumb contact point to the right side of the shaft, center shaft, or left side of the shaft. From the notes, it sounds like the pinch is moving the thumb to the center or left side of the shaft leaving only the right side of the pad touching the club.
July 30, 2018
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James
It is touching the centre part of the grip and if I look down towards the ground at the grip and say the straight down is 12 o'clock the V of the left grip is pointing to 11 o'clock downwards, i.e. left of straight down and upwards it is towards the right ear.
July 30, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. Okay. Sounds like the pinching maybe be putting the thumb slightly on top and that's why the pad is resting the way you describe. See if you can maintain the pinch and have the thumb ever so slightly to the right of center/straight down the shaft. The thumb will be a hair to the right shy of perfectly centered. If you look at the time stamp on the video above (3:10). You will see how Chris's thumb (using center shaft, or golf pride logo) is slightly right. You will see that is exactly how your original picture uploaded looked. If it matches that one. All should be fine.
July 30, 2018
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James
As I said Craig using Chris's placement of the right hand was fine but having my left thumb against my pointing finger, where Chris refers to pinching the thumb against the pointing finger did cause me some tension in my grip and a lot of pulled shots. When I place my left hand on the club with that very small gap between the thumb and index finger I did not feel the tension in my grip as I swung struck my shots better; in the picture the arrow points to this gap. I do think it is abnomality of my left thumb ( I can literally bend it back 90 deg from the position shown) that I need to have that slight gap in my grip, The V in my right grip points now to my right shoulder.
July 19, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. Ideally, you want that pinched together. But, due to your abnormality. We can monitor if the slight variation starts to affect the swing because less tension is important. If the club starts to get bouncy at the top and you start losing a little face awareness we may need to revisit.
July 19, 2018
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gordon
I have a question about grip pressure and have not managed to find the appropriate video on which to post it, so this is a close as I could get! With help from my RST instructor I have learned that I grip too tightly and this hinders club release, so I am constantly working on this. Right now our course is quite wet and my question concerns what to do when in the semi rough. I have suffered the club rotation caused by „snagging“ and would appreciate your guidance on how to counter this, should I tighten the grip? with both hands? - thereby running contra to my corrective measures. Or should I open the club face very slightly to facilitate passage, using a longer club to compensate loss of distance. I should add that the shots in question are transport, i.e. for length, not short shots around the green. Thanks in advance (perhaps you could do a video on this topic to add to the uphill/downhill lie ones, - we are often confronted with challenging ball situations in a given round
December 25, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gordon. If you take a look at the Golf Specialty Shot Section you should see some awkward lie scenarios. Also, the grip pressure in a typical tour pro will go from a 2 - 8 (1 weakest - 10 tightest) from address to impact. In the rough, your grip pressure will naturally increase to help you get through. I would be concerned with opening the face too much, or longer club because it will grab the grass even more. For now, it will take some practice to still allow proper motion while still holding on.
December 26, 2017
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gordon
Hi Craig, in the meantime whilst browsing through many RST videos I came across a similar question and the reply ( I believe it was from you!) seemed to be recommending tighter fingers but still relaxed wrists for such situations. Is that correct?, -it sounds reasonable but I suspect it may need quite a lot of practice for in-situ application. Seasons greetings! Gordon.
December 26, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gordon. More than likely was me. Yes, keep the wrists soft, but still hold onto it with the fingers. When you start tensing the fingers you tend to tense everything leading to lack of rotation and proper delivery of angle. If you can keep the grip and allow the wrists to stay as soft as possible. You should still get a good blend of delivery and release.
December 26, 2017
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Ronald
What adjustments would you make for hands that have shorter fatter fingers and ones that have a bit of arthritis so they are hard to close. Which grip style and size is recommended?
December 10, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ronald. Take a look at Are Your Grips Fit Properly Video. Understand the goal we are trying to achieve. You may need some extra wrap to help hold the club, but I don't want so much that the fingers cannot wrap around properly. I prefer Overlap and have longer fingers. Shorter fingered players tend to find interlocking easier.
December 11, 2017
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Ronald
Tips of my middle 2 lightly touch, not the pinky though. My fingers are fairly put thick, so only the flesh tips touch, not the nails unless I move way down the shaft. Also I’ve been using overlap since the interlock seems to be a bit more finger pain. I might try to strengthen using a squeeze ball to help that. Glove size is Cadet Medium
December 11, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ronald. A squeeze ball may help. Sounds like you are pretty close to where we want it if the middle finger lightly touch.
December 11, 2017
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Daniel
Been working on my RST grip for it feels like 2 hours a day for the past 4-5 days now and already seeing massive improvements! Especially as it feels my right forearm is more on top. When I've been conscious about this before I've just turned my right shoulder and opened them! Crazy looking back thinking this was my approach. Had 3 quick questions before i practice it again tomorrow: 1) when you're in a set up position and you're about to put your right hand on the club, is it ok to bisect it 90 degrees and go through the base of two middle fingers? Or does this just work when you have the club up and out in front like in vid? 2) the toothpaste drill for pressure during release - should this be the case at set up too? And you practice setting up with a tube of toothpaste and just gripping it with the 3 fingers on left and 2 on right? 3) when you connect your hands and your middle two fingers on your right hand hook around the club, is it ok if the tip touches your left thumb? so once I've pinched my left thumb and forefinger the thumb sort of faces bsck to the left so it meets my fingers on right hand.
November 5, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Daniel. It will be easier when the club is out in front of you. Yes, the toothpaste feeling will remain like you described. Also, it is okay for the tips to slightly touch the thumb.
November 6, 2017
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Nicholas
Hi Craig, I had a swing review yesterday and you advised me that I had too much cup in my left hand at address. I think what I have tried to do here is take my early wrist break out of my take away, I believe this causes me to take the club a little too much on the inside, get a little long at the top and too down the line, i.e. not laid off with excessive wrist break. I think from your reaction I may have overdone this although I feel that I have achieved what I wanted to, i.e. position at the top and more on plane coming down, i.e. not so under plain. I guess I need to try and achieve this position by using more body rotation and less thought of hands.
August 5, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Nicholas. I agree that you achieved what we are trying to move towards. The issue isn't so much with your club being on the outside. But, how you were compensating with the trail arm fold early. Calm down the trail arm fold first. See what happens.
August 5, 2017
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Robert
At 1:30, Chris talks about placing the grip along the base of the fingers. Can we presume that he is mostly referring to the base of the last three fingers, and not necessarily the index finger? at least on my hand, the base of the last three fingers is a straight line and the index finger base veers off. given that the index finger of the lead side is not actively gripping the club, I'm thinking that focusing on the line created by the last three fingers is the right way to go?
June 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. Yes, the last three fingers.
June 27, 2017
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T David
I use the overlap grip. Should the pinky of right hand sit on top of the first and second finger of the right hand? I have been creating a little space for the pinky between these two fingers so the right hand pinky actually touches the shaft. Is this incorrect?
June 20, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dave. Should the pinky of right hand sit on top of the first and second finger of the right hand? The goal would be the trail pinky would sit between or nestled into the valley created by the pointer and middle finger of the lead hand. It shouldn't be touching the shaft.
June 20, 2017
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Peter
Chris, I need a tight grip to maintain control. Keeping the left thumb at a 2 o'clock position and pressing the thumb down with the palm pad of the right hand in the back swing gives me a closed club face at the top. With the right side loaded my lower body automatically shifts left giving me a good impact and release. If I try to keep a light grip with the right hand my sequencing in the down swing goes awry. That seems at odds with your technique. Please give me your thoughts.
May 14, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Peter, I'm not certain is to what you need my thoughts on here. I've never encounter anyone that need a tighter grip to keep the clubface from shutting, fixing downswing sequence or release the club. In fact, it's the exact opposite for students that battle with those issues.
May 16, 2017
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Wayne
I have been experimenting with different grip sizes (mid size, oversize, jumbo, etc.). Do you have any advice on grip size? Thanks
May 6, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Wayne. I would shy away from having too big of a grip. The bigger the grip the more it will inhibit wrist set and rotation. I play mid-size due to larger hands. But, the vast majority of players don't need overly large grips.
May 6, 2017
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tim
Should the left thumb at the top of the backswing be under the shaft and supporting the shaft?
May 4, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tim. The lead thumb will help support some of the shaft at the top.
May 4, 2017
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William
Hey Chris, great video. I use an overlapping grip, and I believe it is very much inline with what you describe in the video. My grip pressure at address is 2 or 3. Here is my problem. While still at address, without moving a single thing but simply applying more grip pressure, the face of my club closes 30-40 degrees. My guess is during my full swing my grip pressure automatically increases in a similar fashion resulting in a shut face at impact. I know you said tour pros grip pressure increases from 2 at address to 8 at impact, and I am guessing mine is about the same. However I know tour pros don't have a 30-40 degree shut club face at impact. This is driving me nuts. The only solution (band aid) I have figured out so far is a high pressure grip at impact which obviously kills my distance, but at least I am not hitting those ugly low duck hooks. Any suggestions to help me from ever seeing a hook again? Boy would I love to be able to play a fade! Thx very much.
April 19, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey William, glad you enjoyed the video. You shouldn't be applying more grip pressure at the address position before moving anything else. This will keep the club from wanting to rotate properly as you start to shift and turn your body. You want the club face always to be rotating in the backswing and in the downswing. The grip pressure will increase at certain points of the swing due to the momentum and inertia in the club created by the primary body body movements of weight shift and body turn. If you are battling with something of this nature, I suggest that you resolve it with shorter 9-3 swings and then slowly start to add more width and rotation to increase the speed. See the perfecting your impact series (in the bonus section) for some drills to help you control the hitting area. Hope that helps.
April 19, 2017
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Lance
Any science to back up pros and cons of the overlap and interlock? Really would like to understand the biomechanics of the grip and tendencies different approaches have on varying the face angle.
March 14, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. The debate of inter versus over is on going. There really isn't any science to back up the best option. The key is having the pressure points properly on the club and active at the right times. Which both grips will allow you to do so.
March 15, 2017
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Lance
Well I must say that my shots are going left much less with the interlock now. So something about the pressure points ( or whatever it is ) seems that I am now relaxing the right hand and letting the left release. Maybe I should video for a swing review? Really think there should be some scientific foundation from Chuck on this because the right hand was overactive in my swing because it rode on top of the left when using the overlap.
March 15, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. Great news that the interlock is helping you relax the trail hand. This is why the topic is tough. I was the polar opposite. I used interlocking up until I switched to Rotary. Chuck and I (a long time ago) during my swing build decided to change my grip to overlap because I was too active with my trail hand. Making it much easier for me to turn it off, or feel a let go at impact. I will ask if there is anything coming up more about the grip. The main thing is you seem to have a grip that allows you to exert the proper pressure.
March 16, 2017
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Lance
Does the interlock grip promote less right side dominance compared to the overlap? Or is it easier to close the face too much at impact and address with the overlap versus the interlock? Most discussions that I have heard about these two different grips are almost trying to be politically correct rather than point out the positives versus negatives. I started trying the interlock today because I started to wonder if it would help me make the right hand more of a passenger following the left. I think it is an improvement and my face was not hooding at address and impact as with the overlap that I have been using since I started rst a year and a half ago. Any videos on the contrasts of the two grips that might be helpful?
March 12, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. Typically, interlock allows you to use the trail side a little easier through the shot. The important piece is that the hands are placed on correctly. I've heard arguments to pros and cons from instructors and students. It is personal preference. Chuck and myself use overlap while Chris and others use interlock. Some feel it allows them to let go of the trail hand easier and others shut the face down. Tough to prove the ideal.
March 13, 2017
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Lance
Thanks Craig So I am thinking that with the overlap the pinky on the right hand requires more pressure than interlock The interlock seems to allow more direct contact with the two middle fingers on the club Can you speak to the ideal grip pressure for the right hand I understand the consistent need for the grip pressure in the left hand to be the lower 3 fingers. It seems the grip pressure in the right hand will affect the degree that it releases at impact which changes the face.
March 13, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. Yes, the interlock allows for more direct contact of the middle two. Some players feel this gives them the ability to rotate the trail hand more through the follow through. Typical grip pressure throughout the swing starts at a 2 and reaches an 8 at impact (1 weakest-10 greatest). You need enough pressure to help support the club at the top and stabilize the face into impact. However, when fully controlling with the lead you don't require a ton of trail hand pressure due to the pulling of the club. Physics will be steering or doing more of the work. The only time you will be in trouble is if the trail hand is stopping or dominating the lead to the fact it slows down the club head or completely steers the face. Hence, Hogan wanted three trail hands. We would want three lead hands .
March 13, 2017
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Nigel
Hi Chris, Great video. When I place my right hand on the grip, the ends (finger pads) of my middle and ring fingers are resting against the side of my left thumb. My previous grip was very weak with my right hand so that these fingers rested against the grip. It feels awkward but I am looking for reassurance that this is ok.
November 2, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Nigel. Depending on hand size or finger tip length. The ends of the two fingers mentioned touching the lead thumb is abnormal.
November 2, 2016
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Ryan
Over the weekend I played golf with a pro and he mentioned that my right thumb (I'm a right handed player) was to much off to the side of the grip, next to my pointer finger and that it should be across the middle. Any truth to that? Where exactly should my right and left thumb be located on the grip. Thanks in advance!
July 25, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ryan. I answered in your review. The trail thumb shouldn't be on the side of the shaft.
July 26, 2016
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Scott
I know it takes time, but, since this is a new grip for me, my fingers/hands hurt. Is that the feeling I'll have until I get use to it? My challenge is that I'm playing golf regularly and playing match play in singles and doubles...with all the "new" things, it's easier to revert to what's comfortable, any suggestions? Admittedly, I can't "flip" the club gripping like this, at least not yet. I know flipping is not what I want but it's an 11 year habit that's tough to break. Thanks
May 27, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Scott. It isn't unheard of to have the hands a little sore with new grip. Make sure you aren't wrenching the club. I think you might be squeezing the death out of it. Try the toothpaste feeling in the Fix Your Release Video.
May 28, 2016
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Scott
Thanks Craig, as I looked at the video The Grip How to, I found that the left hand was easier for me but what I "thought" the right hand was suppose to do as it relates to the thumb pad, was to sit on "top", not the side. Once I put it on the side, naturally, my pinky was able to wrap around to the knuckle of the left hand verses the first/second joint of the left hand. I've always seen ever good golfer with the right pinky sits right up to where the pointer finger of left hand meets knuckle and I knew I was doing it "wrong" but didn't understand how to get it there. I thought, ok, they must have longer fingers and of course every lesson, "Scott", you have a good grip but I knew something was wrong. I just have to practice. Now that I have this new sensation, I just need to understand how to release the club through impact because it's much harder to flip it, holding the club correctly. Thanks so much. I hope my analogy makes sense?
May 28, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Scott. The analogy makes sense. Sometimes your feel is the one you can't ignore. Glad to see it is feeling better.
May 28, 2016
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Keith
Great video. I have a question about the grip at the top of the backswing. I have a tendency to let the club handle slip down between my right thumb and hand at the top. This is especially when I'm working on getting a good relaxed wrist cock and attempting to create more lag. What should my right thumb be doing at the top? Thanks for any advice. p.s. right handed golfer.
March 25, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Keith. Take a look at the 3 Functions of the Right Arm for help with trail arm and wrist placement. The trail thumb and index will be sharing a little bit of support with the wrist. It is necessary to keep the club from falling between the hand and too much lead arm support.
March 25, 2016
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Jonathan
I have noticed a few golf training aids molded to get your hands exactly in the right position. In your experience have they generally been molded for the proper grip you explained in the video?
March 10, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jonathan. Most of them are molded into the correct position. However, some might present a stronger grip than others.
March 10, 2016
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Jonathan
Thank you. Do you have any recommendations?
March 17, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jonathan. Not really as I have never used one. But, when looking/trying out. Just make sure they don't present too strong a lead hand grip.
March 17, 2016
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Jonathan
Thank you!
March 18, 2016
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Stephen
Hi Craig, should the pad next to the thumb be resting on the grip? Because, when I put the club across the proximal aspect of fingers, where the creases are. The club sits under the heel of the hand and not the pad beneath the thumb. Stephen
March 2, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. At the base of the thumb there might be a little space between the pad and the grip. But, not a whole bunch. Take a look at the Golf Grip How to for more detail.
March 2, 2016
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Stephen
Hi Craig, Chris states that the club has to placed across the bases of the fingers. So does this mean that half of the grip has to be in the palm and half in the fingers. Do I grip the club with my fingers first? I have to really ulnar deviate my hand to get the club to sit across the bases of all the metacarpals. Is this correct?
March 2, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. There will be a little bit in the palm. But, it should be going slanted starting from the base of the pinky finger. Grab with the fingers first and then press the rest of the hand down. You should require less ulnar deviation and should be a little hinge at setup.
March 2, 2016
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Stephen
Hi Craig, thanks for your reply. You mentioned slanted starting from base of pinky, does the grip go through the base of the index finger. Or do you mean slanted where the club is resting close to the proximal interphalangeal joint. Thanks for your help. Stephen
March 2, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. Close to the Proximal Phalange. It doesn't work completely straight across the hand along the knuckles.
March 2, 2016
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gary
Should the grip pressure be the same for the left and right hand? I typically have much less grip pressure with the right hand.
February 4, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. There will be more pressure in the lead hand, than the trail hand. Enough to still help support the club with the trail hand without being over dominant.
February 4, 2016
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gary
I use a medium size mens glove so I would say my hands are on the small side. I get a lot of wear on the glove in the pad area lined up with the pinky. I feel as if the club slips into the life line during the swing. My right hand get a painful callus on the ring finger at the joint closest to the hand. Gripping the club with the right hand causes the flesh to pinch together in that spot. When I grip the club in the life line (which I prefer) it causes the butt of the club to point at the solar plexus giving the appearance of an upright stance.
February 4, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. When the grip gets too much in the lifeline. It will be hard to apply the pressure from the last three lead fingers properly. It will effect some speed and support. With the butt end of the club pointing at the solar plexus you are getting the arms/hands/club too much in a straight line position. This can effect vertical movement of the club and wrist set.
February 4, 2016
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gary
Thanks for the quick answer. I just started using your program and it is very impressive and full of great information. I have some under size grips that I am going to install on a few clubs. I will try them on the range and see if they will allow me to keep the club "in the three fingers".
February 5, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. No problem. Keep us updated along your journey if you need more help.
February 5, 2016
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Cavan
Guys - could you some me some advice on the grip as it relates to the right hand considering: 1) how much pressure should I be applying either when its a full swing or when I'm practicing like in a 9 to 3 or 30-69-90 context? I'm trying to overcome right side dominance / push (ironic since I'm left handed) Should I basically feel like my right hand is barely on the club? 2) What finger should be gripping the club? Should it only be the ring and middle? I feel like my thumb and trigger finger cause problems - almost as if I grip the club more tightly with my right hand as start and through the downswing (my grips are a little worn out where the inside my right hand thumb sits on the club) As always, many thanks in advance and apologies for any excruciating detail!
December 23, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Cavan. You need grip pressure, but relax the wrist. The typical tour pro starts at about a 2 with address and works into an 8 at impact (1 being light 10 being tightest). Feeling like the right hand is barely on the club should help. The ring and middle finger will be gripping the club. But, also the thumb/index to help with support and apply slight force. Keep the pinch between the thumb and index, but don't force press them too much against the club grip.
December 23, 2015
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Cavan
Thanks Craig. So the right hand should be about an 8 at impact? Just trying to square that with all the training your release instruction that teaches to act like the right hand is not even on the club. Also what about wear spots on your golf glove? Is there a spot that indicates a correct grip with the left hand? Mine seem to always wear along the bottom center edge of the palm (if that makes sense)
December 24, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Cavan. You will feel the majority of pressure coming in the lead hand. When the lead hand is mastered and you start to add a little force from the trail side it can increase. As long as the glove isn't wearing out in the palm or in the middle of the fingers. You should be ok.
December 24, 2015
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William
Sometimes at the top of my swing I get the sense that the club shifts from under the hand pad on the top hand to the middle of the palm. I'm not sure if it actually happens, but I don't have the feeling of having a secure grip with the top hand. Any suggestions? I have cadet medium sized hands and standard grip sizes.
December 14, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello William. If you were getting wear spots on the glove hand I would say you have it too much in the palm. In the trail hand or non-glove hand you need to make sure the thumb and index finger are helping support the club at the top by maintaining a pinch. And, the hand isn't too weak on the club.
December 15, 2015
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Corey
I think I have my left hand (Right handed player) on the club properly. When I execute an interlocking or overlap grip, my ring finger on my right hand wraps around and comes in to contact with the thumb of my left hand and doesn't allow me to have my ring finger of my right hand on the shaft completely. Is that acceptable for a proper grip? If not, what am I doing wrong?
December 12, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Corey. Sounds like you have some big hands. Only thing I would ask to check. Is make sure the right thumb and index finger are touching (or pinched together), so you can support the club at the top of the swing and apply force properly coming down.
December 15, 2015
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JAMES
For the top hand, is there any separation between the first and middle finger down the club? How about the same fingers on the lower hand?
December 4, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jim. For the top hand there shouldn't be any separation. For the lower hand (Interlocking Grip) there will be some, (Overlap or Vardon) there will not be any. The top hand has to keep the connection to help transmit force.
December 6, 2015
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James
Hey Chris First I'm 57 years old & have been golfing for 30+ years, my grip has always been an overlapping grip, however when you described your hands you could have been describing mine. I have always felt I should use an interlocking grip. I don't feel that I have control of the clubface through impact. Do you suggest a change after 30 years of using an overlapping grip. Can an old dog learn a new way?
December 4, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Best this to do Jim is go out and try it out for a couple of range sessions. Maybe try to work on some 9 to 3 swings and see how you do with controlling the face down in the hitting area and then work up to a longer swings. See how it feels and report back. I am interested to hear. The important thing is to give a couple of sessions and do not just base it on one session. Good luck...oh and you can ALWAYS learn new tricks regardless of age.
December 4, 2015
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James
This past Saturday I had a range session using the interlocking grip as suggested. I hit the ball great in the session! Naturally I wanted to try it so I played 18 using the grip and during the front 9 I started hitting the hosel rockets(3 of them), so of course getting frustrated I stopped & went back to the overlapping grip. Now I'm afraid to try it & feel I should drop the whole interlocking grip scenario!
December 7, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Sounds like you need more range reps and before taking it to the course.
December 7, 2015
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IJAZ
I notice your right thumb is not on top of the shaft but rather off to the side a little...My right thumb is right on the shaft in the middle...what is correct or does it matter?
December 4, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
I have short fingers, when my right hand goes on the club, based on the position of the grip at the base of the fingers, my thumb will not get as much on top of the club as some.
December 4, 2015
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Jon
Are all these checkpoints made with the assumption of a club face down the target line? I've heard that at neutral position the club face should be slightly closed because of the forward shaft lean at the ideal impact position (which essentially squares the club face).
December 4, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
The club face should be square when taking the grip 100%. Forward shaft will deloft the club and should not change the position of the face much. The rotation of the wrist and forearm would be changing the face angle.
December 4, 2015
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Edward
Good video Chris. How would you characterize grip pressure on a 1-10 scale for each hand and any specific fingers on each hand? From earlier videos it seems like the most pressure is on the last 3 fingers of the left hand and that the entire right hand grip should be very light on the club.
December 4, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Edward, Glad you like the video. In a perfect world the grip pressure would be around the same in both hands. Typically it is always best for you to go as light as you can in the right hand, if you are prone to right side dominance. Back 3 fingers on the lead hand is a good place to focus the pressure.
December 4, 2015
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Scott
Chris: is it okay to have your thumbs on the side of the shfts? For those of us that push with are thumbs
December 4, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Scott, check out Chuck's grip how-to video in the recommended videos. There is an article with that video that goes into detail about the placement of the thumbs.
December 4, 2015

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